Merkel at risk of defeat in German state elections

Chancellor Angela Merkel risks losing her majority in Germany’s upper house of parliament as the country’s most populous state votes today – a setback that could make it harder to run Europe’s biggest economy.

Polls indicate that voters in North Rhine-Westphalia state may reject the centre-right coalition which has run the region since 2005, stripping Mrs Merkel’s federal government of its majority in the upper house, which represents Germany’s 16 states and must approve major legislation.